Gregory of Nazianzus, To a Silent Father

with your wrath; that you may not make us few, and beyond all the inhabitants of the earth, a thing of nought.

13. With these words I draw down mercy; and if it were possible to atone for the wrath with whole burnt offerings or sacrifices, I would not have spared even these. But you yourselves also imitate a fearful priest; yes, beloved children, yes, partakers of divine communion and admonition and loving-kindness. Possess your souls in tears; stay the wrath, having made your practices better. Sanctify a fast, proclaim a healing; these things the blessed Joel commands you with us. Gather the elders, the infants nursing at the breasts, a pitiable age, and most worthy of God's loving-kindness. And I know what he commands both to me, the minister of the Lord, and to you, who have been deemed worthy of the same glory, to enter in sackcloth, and to beat the breast night and day between the foundation and the altar, pitiable in appearance, more pitiable in our cries, crying out earnestly for ourselves and for the people, sparing nothing, neither toil, nor word, by which God is propitiated; saying, "Spare, Lord, your people," "and give not your inheritance to reproach," and all that follows in the prayer; having so much more of affliction as we have of dignity, through ourselves instructing the people to compunction, and the correction of wickedness, and the longsuffering of God that follows these things, and the forbearance from the scourge.

14. Come therefore, all, brothers, let us worship, and fall down, and weep before 35.953 the Lord who made us. Let us set up a common mourning, divided according to ages and families. Let us raise the voice of supplication; instead of the cry hated by him, let us offer this to the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth; Let us anticipate his wrath with confession. Let us desire to see him, just as he was angered, so also relenting. Who knows, it says, if he will turn, and repent, and leave a blessing behind? I, the guarantor of God's loving-kindness, know this clearly. And leaving aside that which is contrary to his nature, his wrath, he will proceed to that which is according to his nature, mercy. For to the one he is compelled by us; but towards the other he has his impulse. And if he strikes being compelled, how will he not relent when using his nature? Only let us have mercy on ourselves, having opened a way for the just compassions of the Father. Let us sow in tears, that we may reap in joy. Let us become Ninevites, not Sodomites; let us heal our wickedness, let us not be consumed by wickedness. Let us hear Jonah preaching, lest we be overwhelmed with fire and brimstone. And if we have gone out of Sodom, let us approach the mountain, let us flee to Zoar, let us enter with the rising sun. Let us not stand in all the surrounding country; let us not look around, lest we be frozen into a pillar of salt, a truly immortal pillar, and an accusation of a soul turning back to evil.

15. Let us know, that to sin in nothing is truly above man, and of God alone; for I omit to say anything about angels, lest we give occasion to passions, and a door to wicked contradictions; but to be incurable is of the wicked and opposing nature, and of those who are actuated by it. But for those who sin to turn back, is of men, but of good men, and of the portion that is being saved. For if even the dust draws some of the wickedness, and the earthly tabernacle weighs down the mind that is carried upward, or that was created to be carried upward; yet let the image cleanse away the mire, and place the yoked-together flesh on high, lightening it with the wings of reason. And it is better, indeed, neither to have needed such a cleansing, nor to have been cleansed, our first dignity remaining to us, 35.956 to which we also hasten from the instruction here, and not to fall from the tree of life by the bitter taste of sin; but it is better, than for those who stumble not to be disciplined, for those who sin to be turned back. For whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and the reproof is fatherly; but every unadmonished soul is incurable. Therefore not

τῷ θυμῷ σου· ἵνα μὴ ὀλιγοστοὺς ἡμᾶς ποιήσῃς, καὶ πα ρὰ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν, ἐξουδένω μα.

ΙΓʹ. Τούτοις ἐγὼ τοῖς λόγοις ἕλκω τὸν ἔλεον· εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁλοκαυτώμασιν ἢ θυσίαις ἦν ἐξιλάσασθαι περὶ τῆς ὀργῆς, οὐδὲ τούτων ἂν ἐφεισάμην. Ὑμεῖς δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ μιμήσασθε δειλὸν ἱερέα· ναὶ, τέκνα ἀγαπη τὰ, ναὶ, θείας κοινωνοὶ καὶ νουθεσίας καὶ φιλανθρωπίας. Κτήσασθε τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν ἐν δάκρυσι· στή σατε τὴν ὀργὴν, βελτίονα ποιήσαντες τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα ὑμῶν. Ἁγιάσατε νηστείαν, κηρύξατε θεραπείαν· ταῦθ' ὑμῖν διακελεύεται μεθ' ἡμῶν Ἰωὴλ ὁ μακάριος. Συναγάγετε πρεσβυτέρους, νήπια θη λάζοντα μαστοὺς, ἡλικίαν ἐλεεινὴν, καὶ μάλιστα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἀξίαν. Οἶδα δὲ, ἃ κἀμοὶ τῷ λειτουργῷ Κυρίου καὶ ὑμῖν ἐντέλλεται, τοῖς τῆς αὐτῆς δόξης ἠξιωμένοις, εἰσελθεῖν ἐν σάκκοις, καὶ κόπτεσθαι νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς κρηπῖδος καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, ἐλεεινοὺς τῷ σχή ματι, ἐλεεινοτέρους ταῖς φωναῖς, βοῶντας ἐκτενῶς ὑπέρ τε ἑαυτῶν καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, φειδομένους μηδενὸς, μὴ κόπου, μὴ ῥήματος, οἷς Θεὸς ἐξιλάσκεται· Φεῖσαι, Κύριε, τοῦ λαοῦ σου, λέγοντας, καὶ μὴ δῷς τὴν κληρονομίαν σου εἰς ὄνειδος, καὶ ὅσα ἑξῆς τῆς δεήσεως· τοσοῦτον πλέον ἔχοντας τῆς θλίψεως, ὅσον καὶ τῆς ἀξίας, δι' ἑαυτῶν παιδεύοντας τὸν λαὸν πρὸς κατάνυξιν, καὶ τῆς κακίας διόρθωσιν, καὶ τὴν ἑπο μένην τούτοις τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμίαν, καὶ ἀνοχὴν τῆς μάστιγος.

Ι∆ʹ. ∆εῦτε οὖν πάντες, ἀδελφοὶ, προσκυνήσωμεν, καὶ προσπέσωμεν, καὶ κλαύσωμεν ἐναντίον 35.953 Κυρίου τοῦ ποιήσαντος ἡμᾶς. Στησώμεθα κοινὸν πένθος, κατά τε ἡλικίας καὶ γένη διαιρεθέντες. Ὑψώσωμεν τὴν φωνὴν τῆς ἱκεσίας· ἀντὶ τῆς μισουμένης αὐτῷ κραυγῆς, ταύτην εἰς τὰ ὦτα Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ ἀνενέγκωμεν· Προφθάσωμεν αὐ τοῦ τὴν ὀργὴν ἐν ἐξομολογήσει. Βουληθῶμεν αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν, ὥσπερ ὠργισμένον, οὕτω καὶ μετατιθέ μενον. Τίς οἶδε, φησὶν, εἰ ἐπιστρέψει, καὶ μετα νοήσει, καὶ ὑπολείψεται εὐλογίαν; Οἶδα τοῦτο σαφῶς ἐγὼ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἐγγυη τής. Καὶ ὃ παρὰ φύσιν ἐστὶν αὐτῷ, τῆς ὀργῆς ἀφεὶς, ἐπὶ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν χωρήσει, τὸν ἔλεον. Εἰς ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ὑφ' ἡμῶν βιάζεται· πρὸς δὲ τοῦτο τὴν ὁρ μὴν ἔχει. Καὶ εἰ πατάσσει βιαζόμενος, πῶς οὐκ ἀνήσει τῇ φύσει χρώμενος; Μόνον ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐλεήσωμεν, τοῖς δικαίοις τοῦ Πατρὸς σπλάγχνοις ὁδὸν ἀνοίξαντες. Σπείρωμεν ἐν δάκρυσιν, ἵν' ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει θερίσωμεν. Γενώμεθα Νινευῗται, μὴ Σο δομῖται· θεραπεύσωμεν τὴν κακίαν, μὴ τῇ κακίᾳ συντελεσθῶμεν. Ἀκούσωμεν Ἰωνᾶ κηρύσσοντος, μὴ πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ κατακλυσθῶμεν. Κἂν ἐξέλθωμεν Σόδομα, προσβῶμεν τῷ ὄρει, καταφύγωμεν εἰς Σε γὼρ, ἀνίσχοντι συνεισέλθωμεν τῷ ἡλίῳ. Μὴ στῶμεν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ περιχώρῳ· μὴ περιβλεψώμεθα, μὴ παγῶμεν εἰς στήλην ἁλὸς, στήλην ὄντως ἀθάνατον, καὶ κατηγορίαν ψυχῆς εἰς κακίαν ἐπιστρεφούσης.

ΙΕʹ. Γνῶμεν, ὅτι τὸ μὲν μηδὲν ἁμαρτεῖν, ὄντως ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον, καὶ μόνου Θεοῦ· ἐῶ γὰρ περὶ ἀγγέ λων τι λέγειν, μὴ δῶμεν καιρὸν τοῖς πάθεσι, καὶ θύραν πονηραῖς ἀντιῤῥήσεσι· τὸ δὲ ἀθεράπευ τον, τῆς πονηρᾶς καὶ ἀντικειμένης ἐστὶ φύσεως, καὶ τῶν ὑπ' ἐκείνης ἐνεργουμένων. Τὸ δὲ ἁμαρτά νοντας ἐπιστρέφειν, ἀνθρώπων μὲν, ἀλλ' ἐπιεικῶν, καὶ τῆς σωζομένης μερίδος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὁ χοῦς ἐπισύρεταί τι τῆς κακίας, καὶ τὸ γεῶδες σκῆνος βρί θει τὸν νοῦν ἄνω φερόμενον, ἢ ἄνω φέρεσθαι δεδη μιουργημένον· ἀλλ' ἡ εἰκὼν ἀνακαθαιρέτω τὴν ἰλὺν, καὶ ἄνω τιθέτω τὴν ὁμόζυγον σάρκα, τοῖς τοῦ λόγου πτεροῖς κουφίζουσα. Καὶ κρεῖττον μὲν, μήτε δεηθῆναι τοιαύτης καθάρσεως, μήτε καθ αρθῆναι, τοῦ πρώτου μένοντος ἡμῖν ἀξιώματος, 35.956 εἰς ὃ καὶ σπεύδομεν ἐκ τῆς ἐνταῦθα παιδαγω γίας, μηδὲ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς ἐκπεσεῖν τῇ πικρᾷ γεύσει τῆς ἁμαρτίας· κρεῖσσον δὲ, τοῦ μὴ παιδεύεσθαι πταίοντας, τὸ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐπιστρέφε σθαι. Ὃν μὲν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος παιδεύει, καὶ πα τρικὸν τὸ τῆς ἐπιτιμήσεως· ψυχὴ δὲ πᾶσα ἀνουθέτη τος, ἀθεράπευτος. Οὐκοῦν οὐ